How to Design a Bathroom: A Layout and Storage Guide for London Homes

Knowing how to design a bathroom well means solving for space, water and light in the right order, so a small London bathroom feels calm and works hard rather than feeling cramped.

Learning how to design a bathroom is really about sequencing the decisions correctly. In most London homes the bathroom is one of the smallest and most constrained rooms in the house, wrapped in plumbing, electrics and waterproofing rules, so the layout and the practical choices have to come before the finishes. Get the plan, the storage and the lighting right and even a compact period bathroom feels considered. This guide works through the design in the order that matters.

Start with the layout and the plumbing

The single biggest constraint is where the soil pipe and water supply already run, because moving a toilet far from the existing soil stack is expensive and not always possible. Plan the layout around those fixed points first. The three fittings, basin, toilet and bath or shower, need to sit where each has clearance to use comfortably:

• Allow room to stand at the basin and open a vanity door or drawer.
• Keep clear space in front of the toilet, not a knees-against-the-door squeeze.
• Give a shower enough width that you are not brushing the glass, and plan the door swing so it does not clash with anything.

In a small London bathroom, a walk-in shower often works better than a bath, and a wall-hung toilet and basin free up visible floor, which makes the room read as larger.

Plan storage in from the beginning

Bathrooms fail on storage more than anything else, and it is almost impossible to add later without it looking bolted on. Design it in:

• A vanity unit under the basin hides the cistern pipework and gives a home to everyday items.
• A mirrored cabinet doubles as storage and a mirror, ideal where wall space is tight.
• A recessed niche in the shower wall, formed during the build, keeps bottles off the floor with no protruding shelves.
• Where a chimney breast or awkward alcove exists in a period house, a made-to-measure cupboard turns dead space into useful storage.

Get the lighting and ventilation right

Bathrooms need layered light, not a single ceiling fitting. Combine bright, even light for the practical tasks with a softer layer for atmosphere, and light the mirror from the sides rather than only from above so shadows do not fall across your face. Because water and electricity meet here, bathroom light fittings must be suitably rated for the zone they sit in, so this is a job for a qualified electrician working to the wiring regulations. Ventilation is just as important: an effective extractor fan clears the moisture that otherwise causes mould, peeling paint and damaged plaster. The requirements sit within the building regulations approved documents, and your designer or contractor will design to them.

Choose surfaces that suit a wet room

Every surface has to cope with water and humidity. Porcelain tiles are the workhorse for floors and walls because they are hard-wearing and water-resistant; large-format tiles mean fewer grout lines, which makes a small room feel less busy and easier to clean. Behind the bath and in the shower, proper waterproofing (tanking) under the tiles is non-negotiable. For warmth underfoot on a cold tiled floor, underfloor heating is worth considering while the floor is up. Keep the palette calm and let one element, a stone-effect tile, a characterful basin, brassware in a warm finish, carry the interest.

Design for the age of the house

A bathroom should sit comfortably with the rest of the home. In a Victorian or Edwardian London house, that might mean traditional sanitaryware, metro or encaustic-style tiles and period-appropriate brassware; in a new-build or a clean modern scheme, sleek wall-hung fittings and large plain tiles. The layout logic is the same either way; it is the finishes that tie it to the property. Our guides on how to design a kitchen and the wider approach to period London homes follow the same principle.

If you want the layout, waterproofing and finishes handled as one coherent scheme, that is where a designer earns their fee; see our guide to what an interior designer costs in London, or start at the Vertigo Interiors homepage.